1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to surgical suturing instruments and more particularly to a surgical suturing instrument of the type in which a reciprocating needle picks up a ferrule at the end of a suture, from a magazine disposed at a distal end of the instrument and pulls the ferrule and associated suture back across a gap. The invention also provides a stripper for detaching the ferrule from the needle at the proximal end of the gap.
2. Description of Related Art
Surgical suturing instruments that use a reciprocating needle for penetrating a tissue segment, picking up a suture by attaching to a ferrule attached to the end of the suture and pulling the suture back through the tissue are known. Recently, improved instruments of this type as shown, for example, in U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0154403 have been developed that include a mechanism for detaching the ferrule from the needle at the distal end of the instrument. These instruments have enabled an expanded variety of stitches to be placed.
To enable an even greater variety of stitches to be placed by the instrument, there is a further need, for a surgical suturing instrument that can provide multiple sutures and in which ferrules can be detached from the needle at the proximal end of the gap. Heretofore, a couple of manual techniques have been used to remove ferrules from needles proximal to the tissue gap; namely, physically pulling the ferrule from the tip of the needle by grasping and tensioning the suture, and grasping the ferrule itself, often with a needle driver or surgical clamp to physically remove it from the end of the needle. While each of these is effective, each requires access to the suture or the ferrule, respectively, and therefore requires that the instrument be withdrawn from the site where the sutures are being placed. With the ferrule and suture removal from the needle more automated through one aspect of this invention, another aspect of this invention, multiple suture loads in the device, offers an improved opportunity to expedite suturing. This proximal ferrule release mechanism is useful in unloading the ferrules from the needle prior to reloading the device inside or outside of the patient.